


Petal By Petal

by ThatScottishShipper



Category: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: Blood, Body Horror, Canon Compliant, Don’t post to another site, F/F, Hanahaki Disease, Heartbreak, Heavy Angst, One sided Applejack/Rarity, Reminiscing, Spoilers, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 14:14:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21198989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatScottishShipper/pseuds/ThatScottishShipper
Summary: Heartbroken by the Pony she loves falling for someone else, Rarity slowly begins to fall ill, coughing petals and struggling to breathe.And worst of all, she locks everything away.*End of Finale spoilers and generally very sad.*





	Petal By Petal

_ ‘You probably know me better than I know myself.’ _

Pacing to and fro in the quiet shadows of Carousel Boutique, beneath diamonds in the sky, a unicorn provided the sole source of light from her horn. She wished with all her broken heart that those words were as honest and true as the pony she offered them to.

The Element of Honesty returned the truth in a sharp, painful shard without words. Rarity’s heart was her own, a generous gem belonging to nopony else. Her feelings were forever unrequited, sealed inside the tomb that was her heart until her last days.

She came face to face with a mirror, but she did not see her own reflection. Instead, she saw  _ her _ .

Those emerald green eyes, sparkling like dew drizzled grass, framed by sun kissed freckles. Golden mane, shimmering like sunlight, against ruby red apples and soft amber, a beauty trapped in time.

Even though the years drifted by, Rarity remembered every memory, crystal clear. As she stared in every mirrored reflection, a white pony with reminiscent sapphire blues stared back.

But closer, the past came to life.

A giggling Applejack in a pastel candy dress, adorned with hearts and swirled whispers, at a sleepover.

Her Autumn inspired ensemble from the Gala, crisp browns and green decorative pieces showcasing the Apple pony’s grounded nature. Even when that night ended terribly, Rarity still recalled Applejack’s kindness.

And, of course, Applegem, her fashionista ponysona. Decked to the nines in perfectly selected crystals that sparkled in every flash of the cameras, styled hair shimmering in that gorgeous bun, and radiating absolute confidence.

How could Rarity not realise then her heart beat for Applejack, even when the cruel truth came closer?

That Honesty and Loyalty were destined to be together?

The first time Applejack tenderly called Rainbow Dash ‘ _ her Zap Apple _ ,’ Rarity knew it was all for naught. With no one to talk to, with everyone too busy with their own lives, especially the newly crowned Princess Twilight, the unicorn locked away her heavy heart for days, months…

_ Years _ .

Then she felt it, that distressing construction of the chest, slowly building until it reached her quivering throat.

She coughed violently, trying her hardest to no avail to hold back the dreaded secret that had plagued her recently. Rarity wretched the most dreadful sound, her whole body forced into hard, heavy heaving. She couldn’t think, she could barely breathe, only succumb to the creeping dread within her chest, taking over every part of her.

Her only saving grace was that Sweetie Belle was not there to witness her distress.

With one last cough, Rarity collapsed, sobbing her heart out.

Fluttering to the floor, flickered with blood drops, was bright yellow petals upon a wedding invitation.

**Author's Note:**

> My first hanahaki story! And it’s also my first MLP story! Huzzah!
> 
> And perfect for Halloween coming up too? Yay?
> 
> Heads up, I loved the MLP finale. We got a very cheery, satisfying end to the story of the Mane 6. On a shipping perspective, I was a little surprised by the very heavy implication of canon AppleDash (congrats, AppleDash shippers!) because if anything, I thought it was going to be RariJack if anything. I like Rarity x Twilight, and even I thought RariJack might have been the one. 😆
> 
> So, in the few days after the finale, I wrote this little piece imagining Rarity lamenting over her love of Applejack in the knowledge that she’s hooking up with RD in the months after the ending.
> 
> I went with yellow petals because the flowers in questions will be daffodils growing along weeping willow. Daffodils are cheery flowers, but can be associated with unrequited love, but also new beginnings for later? The willow links to love forsaken. Rarity also sees Applejack as a source of sunshine and light, which made me think of daffodils. I like the idea that each person (sorry, pony) experiences a different flower growing inside of them depending on their love and circumstances.
> 
> There will be more at some point because I have plans for this story.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. 💜


End file.
